Tool



Dec. 23, 1941. H. w. LARsoN TOOL Filed sept. 7, 1959 Patented Dec. 23, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .l 2,266,874 Y f TOOL v Homer W. Larson, Downers Grove,-l ll., assignor'to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York l Application september 7, wsaserial N0..293,693

1 Claim.

This invention relates to tools and more particularly to tools for handling apertured parts during their mounting in apertured members.

vThe object of this invention is the provision of an eicient and practical hand tool for readily gripping an apertured part,v placing it in a receiving aperture ofV a member and automatically releasing the same upon withdrawing the tool therefrom;

In attaining this object there is provided,v in

one embodiment of the invention a hand tool for use in connection with handling and inserting small circular rubber bushings in aligned apertures of members of a commutator brush used in panel dial telephone apparatus, comprising a 'hand'grip member having a shouldered end portion terminatingl in a suitable diameter for insertion in the apertured bushing. Surrounding 'the end portion is a springpressed sleeve carrying a resilient nger arranged to automatically engage the periphery of the bushing as the end of theY tool is entered in the aperture thereof to hold the bushing to the tool. During the insertion of the bushing in the apertures of the members the sleeve and finger move upon the hand grip member and the linger nally springs over the end face of the bushing and upon withdrawing the tool from the bushing the bushing 'is stripped'fro'm the tool. 'Other objects andfeatures of this invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a perspective View of the hand tool for handling apertured parts embodying the features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged View, partly in section, of the tool shown in Fig. 1 with an apertured part gripped thereto and in position for insertion in aligned apertures of members of a commutator brush, shown fragmentarily, and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the position of the part gripping finger on the tool and its relation to the apertured part after being inserted in the apertures of the members.

Referring now to the drawing, IIl is a pencillike hand grip of circular cross-section throughout which may comprise two sections II and I2 joined together in any well known manner and made of aluminum and steel, respectively, or of other desirable materials, the part II being preferably of aluminum to reduce the weight of the tool. The peripheral surface of the parts II and I2 are knurled as indicated to facilitate the handling of the tool. At its lower end, as

viewed in Figs. 2and3, the diameter vof the part I2 is reduced in diameter beginning with a shoulf der I3vand is further reduced in diameter from a shoulder I4 to its extreme outer end surface, the length of the lattenreduced' end which is indicatedat lI5 being le'ssthan the length of an aperturedV part I1,- in the' present use `a small rubbervbushing, to be handled by the tool. 'The diameter of the tool end I5 is such that itmay freely enter the aperture, indicated at. I8,V in the part -.I'I. Yieldably slidably carried on .the reduced portion ofthe-tool .part I2 is a sleeve I9, which is normally urged downwardly toward the reduced.r tool end I5 by a vcompression spring v2l) surrounding the itool part I2.between the shoulder I3 and the Vadjacent end of -the sleeve I9. The sleeve IB is prevented from turning on the tool'part I2 and its downward movement is limitedgby a pin23 xedto land extending laterally .through the tool partfwith its opposite ends projecting intofsl'ots24 formedV inthe sleeve at diametrically opposite points, only one of the slots 24- being shown inv the drawing. v Fixed to and depending from the sleeve I9 is a yieldable finger 25 of spring steel. "The finger 25 normally bears against 'the'.peripheral, edge of the tool part I2 at'the shouldenl, the Vtool part being tapered from theshoulder III to a point slightly below therlo'wer Vend of the sleeve I9 to permit i370 the extremev lower inner end surface of the linger to normally Vlie close tothe'. peripheral surface of the extreme lower end portion LI5 Vof the tool part. .At its .'lower'en'd` the 1inger`25` is provided with an outwardly curved arm or foot 26 which normally lies substantially in the plane of the lower end surface of the tool end portion I5.

The above described embodiment of tool is designed primarily for handling and inserting small circular rubber bushings I1 in aligned apertures 21 of members 28 of a commutator brush fragmentarily shown and indicated in general at 29 which is used in panel dial telephone apparatus. It will be understood that the members 28 during the assembly of the bushing I'I in the aligned apertures are held in a suitable jig (not shown). Also after the bushing I1 has been assembled with the members 28 a clamp plate is placed over the bushing and thereafter a screw is inserted through an aperture in the plate and the aperture of the bushing and threaded into a screw threaded aperture in the bottom member 28 to secure the parts in assembled relation. A detailed description of the commutator brush 55 29 is not believed necessary to a full understand--V ing of this invention, since it forms no part thereof.

In the use of the tool the operator grasps the hand grip ID and while holding it in a vertical position lowers it and enters the end portion I5 in the aperture I8 of one of a supply of bushings I1 which may be arranged on a table or other support with their apertures vertically disposed. As the tool end I5 enters the apertured bushing the outwardly curved foot 26 of the yieldable spring finger 25 engaging the upper peripheral edge of the bushing deflects the spring nger outwardly and it rides onto and along the periphery of the bushing until the upper end surface o-f the bushing abuts the shoulder I4 on the tool.`

At this stage in the handling of the bushing I1 which is shown in Fig. 2 the bushing is gripped to the tool end I5 by the spring actionof the finger 25. Ihe operator now aligns the bushing I1 gripped to the tool with the aligned apertures 21 of the members 28 of the commutator brush 29, as shown in Fig. 2, and moves the tool downwardly and as the bushing enters the apertures 21, the foot26 of the spring finger 25 is moved into engagement with the lupper Vsurface of the upper brush .member 28 and in the continued movement of the bushing into .the apertures the iinger which .is attached to the yieldable slidable sleeve I9 moves upwardly Vwhile bearing against the periphery of the bushing and compresses the spring 20. When the bushing has been fully inserted in the apertures 21 the nger 25 has moved slightly inwardly to position it -against the periphery of the tapered portion of the tool and thus is slightly within the outer periphery of the bushing. The position of the finger 25 relative to the tool end I5 and the bushing I1 upc-n the bushing being fully inserted in the apertures 21 of the brush members 28 is shown in Fig. 3. Thereafter, in moving the tool from engagement with the inserted bushing I1, the tool end 'I5 is withdrawn in a vertical direction from the aperture I8 of the bushing and the foot. 26 of the spring finger 25 remains in engagement with Vthe upper brush member 28 due A to the action of the spring 2D. Before the end surface ofthe tool end moves into the plane of the upper end surface of the Lbushing the nger has moved inwardly `suii'iciently to position the lower inner surface thereof over 'the upper end surface of the bushing which insures that the'bushing will be stripped from the tool end I5 and remain behind in the apertures 21 when the tool is fully withdrawn from engagement with the commutato-r brush 29. At its end opposite the end I5 the tool part II is reduced in diameter, as indicated at 30 (Fig. 1) to provide a portion of suitable length and diameter which may be readily inserted in the aperture of the bushing I1 to remove it from the receiving apertures 21 of the brush members 28 if for/any reason it is found desirable to doy so.

Although the tool in the present embodiment of the invention is designed for handling a particular type of apertured part, namely a rubber Ybushing of circular cross-section formed with a circular aperture, it will be obvious that the tool could be constructed and applied equally well to the handling of square, hexagonal or other shapes of apertures articles and the apertures thereof may be of different contours.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that an efficient and practical tool is provided whereby apertured parts may readily be picked up, moved and inserted in receiving apertures of membersk and vthereafter upon withdrawing the tool from the part it will be automatically stripped from the tool.

e Various modicaticns Vand applications of the invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and such modifications and applications as fall within the spirit of the invention are intended to be covered by the scope of the appended claim.

Whatis claimed is:

A tool for gripping, supporting and assembling an apertured part in a receiving aperture 0f a member comprising a hand grip having an integral end portion of reduced diameter adapted Vto be entered in an aperture of the part, said end 'portion terminating in a shoulder a predetermined distance from its end face effective as an abutment for the part, and resilient means yieldably and slidably carried on said hand grip and normally closely associated with said end portion and adapted to be deflected outwardly thereof automatically upon said end portion being inserted in the aperture of the part whereupon the resilient means bears againstI the outer surface of the part to resiliently grip the same to the end portion and thereafter to move over the end of the part and automatically strip the same from the end portion upon withdrawing the end portion from the part.

HOMER W. LARsoN. 

